Angels left fielder Justin Upton (9) rounds the bases after hitting a solo homer in the ninth inning during a game against the Indians at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.(Photo by Kyusung Gong, Orange County Register/SCNG)

While Angels fans waited anxiously over the past month to see whether Justin Upton would be back next year, it turns out that Billy Eppler was never that concerned, for the simplest of all reasons.

It was clear early to the Angels’ general manager that this is what both sides wanted.

“You never feel entirely sure in the process but cautiously optimistic was an appropriate term for how I was feeling and they were feeling,” Eppler said Thursday, after the Angels announced a new five-year, $106-million deal with Upton.

Upton came to the Angels with an opt-out in his deal at the end of this season. But in the month he played with the Angels and the month after the season, Upton and Eppler made it clear to each other they wanted the relationship to continue.

“It felt to me over the last 30 days of our season that Justin wanted to be here, and we wanted to have him here, so we just focused on our relationship and didn’t consider other alternatives,” Eppler said. “We wanted to keep this union together and he did too.”

Upton said via Twitter that he was out of the country Thursday, but he released a statement on the new deal.

“My family and I are very excited and happy to be back with the Angels organization,” he wrote. “After talking with Billy Eppler several times it was evident to me that (owner Arte Moreno) and the whole organization was as committed to winning as I am, and that was the biggest factor in my decision to come back.”

The Angels also sweetened his deal. Upton had four years and $88.5 million remaining on the six-year deal he signed with the Detroit Tigers, who traded him to the Angels on Aug. 31. The opt-out deadline was three days after the end of the 2017 World Series – Saturday. Eppler began talking with Upton and his agent shortly after the season ended, and the talks culminated in a restructured deal, which adds a year and $17.5 million. They also added a full no-trade clause.

“Justin embodies our offensive philosophy to get on base and hit the ball hard,” Eppler said. “He’s shown a knack for doing that. He’s got the power and the on-base skills that we covet as well as the character and professional approach to be a key member of our core moving forward.”

Had Upton decided to opt-out, he would have hit the market as one of the top two or three offensive players, along with J.D. Martinez and Eric Hosmer. He might have been able to get a more lucrative deal as a free agent.

Upton, however, said shortly before the end of the season that he’d enjoyed his time with the Angels, and also that winning was his primary goal in making his decision. Although the Angels finished 80-82 this season, having Upton for an entire season certainly would appear to have them on track for contending.

Upton was also believed to favor the West Coast. He lives in Arizona, and his wife is from Arizona.

By locking up Upton, the Angels apparently have a long-term solution to their left-field hole, which has been an issue for years.

The restructuring of the deal also gives the Angels some more financial flexibility, in the short-term.

Upton’s new deal will pay him $16 million in 2018, which is less than the $22.125 million he was scheduled to make in each of the remaining four seasons of the old deal. He will now make $18 million in 2019, $21 million in 2020, $23 million in 2021 and $19.5 million in 2022. The last season is after the expiration of Albert Pujols’ $240-million deal. Upton will also receive an $8.5 million signing bonus.

“Reconfiguring the cash flow of the deal was important for us and we articulated that throughout the process with Justin,” Eppler said. “He was completely on board.”

Because the average annual value of Upton’s deal drops only from $22.125 million to $21.2 million, it has a negligible effect on their payroll as it relates to the luxury tax threshold.

Including the players the Angels are likely to offer arbitration, their current figure for next season is about $146 million. The threshold is $197 million. Their actual payroll for next season, however, will be higher, because players like Trout and Pujols will make more than their average annual value in 2018. That is now somewhat balanced by having Upton making less than his AAV for a few years.

They can now spend the rest of the offseason focusing on second base, third base, possibly first base and improved pitching depth.

ALSO

Eppler said the Angels have not yet had any substantive talks with their other players who became free agents on Thursday. The list most notably includes pitchers Yusmeiro Petit and Bud Norris, outfielder Ben Revere and third baseman Yunel Escobar. The Angels declined options on pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Huston Street. …

The Angels also outrighted pitcher Deolis Guerra to Triple-A, which keeps him in the organization but clears a 40-man roster spot. …

Ron Roenicke, the Angels third base coach each of the past two seasons, was hired as the Boston Red Sox bench coach, leaving another vacancy on the Angels’ staff. …

Eppler said he’d exchanged texts with Pujols and was told that Pujols is “underway in his offseason program.” The Angels are hoping that, if Pujols avoids surgery this offseason, he can improve his conditioning and rebound next season. He’s had surgery three of the past four offseasons.

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